How to stop feeling sorry for yourself?

Sometimes we can’t help but pity ourselves. We feel bad about certain situations and events happening to us. Why ME? One might question. But you know… why not you?  

This is exactly the focus of this blog. How to stop feeling sorry for yourself? Trust me, it will help.

1. Face your feelings - the person who knows you best is you. And thus, it is only you who can make the best decisions for you. The same principle applies here. If you know what you feel, you will know what to do with those feelings, exposing yourself to a new understanding of yourself. And Eureka! You now know what you need to work on to feel better.
2. Recognize warning signs of the downward spiral - you know how you feel when things go south. So, keeping in mind the outlook of the feelings, keep an eye out for the signs and you would find it easier to handle yourself and your emotions. 
3. Question your perspective - Our belief systems govern us. But it is the questions that make for their validity. So question a perspective of yours, to know whether it is you or the circumstance which is responsible for your emotional response or response to stimuli in general. 
4. Turn your negative thoughts into behavioral experiments - It is important to realize that what we feel will inevitably turn to actions, so put your negative thoughts to the test and you would realize that they are coming from the root which either needs to be plucked or watered. Either way, this would help you gain insight into yourself and your emotional requirements. 
5. Reserve your resources for your priorities - we all have goals and priorities in this reality. To keep a track of them is helpful, releasing them gives one purpose but to be able to compartmentalize them is step 1 when it comes to turning those goals into reality. So, know your strengths and prioritize them for your best.   
6. Practice gratitude - Gratefulness begets more gratefulness. What goes around comes around. So help people in your surroundings and be happy with what you have. You are lucky and you are here now. Make the best of it. 
7. Help other people - Kindness helps, that is for certain, and not just that it helps your heart grow two sizes bigger, but also it reminds you to be kind to yourself. Hence, help others and yourself. You are doing good.
8. Refuse to complain - complaining is like starting a cycle of negative thinking, it only gravitates towards more negative particles. So just don’t. The best way out sometimes is through. 
9. Maintain an optimistic outlook - This could be a challenge given that sometimes things could be just bad. But fret not…you never know, maybe your smile might just help someone. So, talk to the people and know that life is there to be lived and loved. 

You are stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and braver than you believe. So believe in you. I know I do.